Carina Reynoso
Carina grew up resenting her sister Aviva for the way everything just seemed to work out right in her life. It was shortly after Aviva left for boarding school that the Reynoso family fell apart. Carina knows, she was there to witness it all. As a result, Carina grew comfortable with living a mediocre, uneventful life as a hospital orderly. Life on the Periphery Aviva took more and more interest in making sure her wallflower sister Carina made a better life for herself, and even set Carina up on a date with eligible bachelor James Baldwin, who was a playboy son of Aviva's recently rich lottery-winning colleague, World History professor Theodore Baldwin. Sparks failed to fly, and the dinner date (at the Baldwin family Christmas celebration) only served to open Carina's eyes to a torrid, illicit affair Aviva's boyfriend Ramon was having with prickly private investigator Rachel Marks (who attended as a guest of her brother Shawn's, as Shawn was dating Jenna Baldwin, James's older sister). While Carina paid closer attention to Ramon to confirm her suspicions about the affair, Ramon found it more difficult to resist Rachel, though he tried repeatedly to break things off. Aviva remained blissfully unaware and welcomed Rachel's attempts at forging a friendship, even though Rachel only sought to get to know her rival better, in efforts to win her private battle for Ramon's heart. Carina's nosing around paid off when she caught Ramon and Rachel red-handed in a supply closet together at St. Vincent's hospital where Carina worked as an orderly. Gleefully planning to rock her sister's world with the news of Ramon's betrayal, Carina dashed out of the hospital, only to be run down by a wayward vehicle in a shocking hit-and-run on New Years Eve 2008. Carina's Collision & Coma Eleanor Halperin was found passed out in the car that struck Carina down, and as Carina sunk into a coma, Aviva was livid at Eleanor's apparent drunk driving and demanded justice for her fallen sister. Loyalties were torn as Ramon found himself caught between his former boss (he'd since quit The Redeye after gaining certification as an EMT) and his girlfriend. In the months that followed, Aviva leaned on Ramon for support as she willed her sister to come out of the coma, only for Ramon to fear that as soon as Carina awoke, his affair with Rachel would be exposed. Aviva also found comfort in Rachel, still unaware of Rachel's selfish motivations. As Carina showed signs of returning to consciousness, Aviva began receiving mysterious messages warning her about who she could trust, and Rachel began receiving anonymous threats. Ramon was suspicious that Carina was more awake than she was letting on, or his brother Rolo, who also recently discovered Ramon and Rachel's affair, was taunting them all with his knowledge. When Carina fully emerged from the coma, she decided not to expose the affair yet, and Rolo swore he was innocent. It was eventually revealed that Aviva herself had been sending the notes to Rachel, and to herself... or was it really Aviva? Firing & A Fresh Start Carina only had one friend at St. Vincent's hospital, Dr. Julia Lawless, another self-professed loner. And thankfully Julia was there for Carina when Carina's bad luck in life continued to persist, even during her coma. Carina learned that she lost her job for failing to come in for work, since no one thought to inform the hospital that she was a comatose patient there! With no job, Carina also found herself unable to pay rent, so Julia took Carina on as a roommate, allowing her time to get back on her feet. Carina saw her near-death experience as a chance to reinvent herself, take a new direction in life, but unsure of exactly which direction, since she was never particularly good at any one thing. Everything changed for Carina in July 2008 when she saw a news piece on television about self-made business mogul Lauren Sapphyre, and immediately wanted to work for her. Carina was drawn to someone who was so decisive, powerful, and sure of themselves, that she was certain working closely with her would help her find direction in her own life. Love with Lauren Coming upon Lauren by chance at The Redeye, Carina wanted to schedule an interview to become Lauren's personal assistant, or work for her in any capacity. Lauren laughed Carina off, immediately deciding Carina was unqualified to work for her. Carina lashed out at Lauren, furious over the outright rejection, and the fire in Carina's eyes caught Lauren by surprise. Lauren saw Carina in a new light and decided to craft a new campaign, making Carina the face of Sapphyre Cosmetics' new"Artemis" fragrance line! Carina by no means ever considered herself "model" material, but Lauren's confidence in her buoyed Carina's spirits. Swept up in Lauren's fast-moving, glamorous world, Carina was overcome by emotions she'd never felt before, including an attraction to the passionate and alluring Lauren. Though wary of these unfamiliar feelings, Carina embraced them and shrugged off anyone who was surprised at the "new" Carina Reynoso. As Carina's life continued to expand and improve, her sister Aviva's life continued to crumble as she was diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder and apprehended after a crime spree. Carina, almost coldly, remained focused on her own life, not wanting to allow her newfound joy to be eclipsed by her sister's unrelenting drama. Over time, Lauren began to let Carina into her heart, after their sexual relationship had already started. Mother & Child Carina was stunned when her mother Lucia Reynoso arrived in New York after years of separation, to help with Aviva's therapy at Shady Glen Sanitarium. Lucia didn't even visit when Carina was in a coma for months! Lucia reached out to Carina to get to know her youngest daughter again, but Carina rejected her mother, throwing her new sexual identity in her mother's face and claiming there was no room left in her life for her biological family. Lauren supported Carina's decisions, and they grew closer, but when Carina found a file on a woman named Linda, Carina suspected she had a rival for Lauren's affection, only to learn from Lauren that Linda was Lauren's birth name! Lauren was furious at Carina's snooping, but Carina refused to be shut out of Lauren's life and Lauren finally opened up about her past. Lauren admitted that she separated from her family early because she lost a brother to the war, when that brother only enlisted in the military to please the family, not for his own beliefs. Not wanting to live a life her family planned for her, but to forge her own, Lauren left home, changed her name and proceeded to build the life she wanted for herself, cutting her family out of her life completely. Carina was taken aback when she learned Lauren had a child as a result of marital rape from a short-lived marriage. The husband died soon after the rape and Lauren gave the child up for adoption, unable to separate her feelings about the circumstances of conception from her feelings about the child. Lauren had yet to decide whether she wanted to find or know her long lost child, but Carina stood by Lauren to support her in whatever she'd decide. Category:Characters